Reclining chair with stationary arms



July 25, 1950 F. c. MAURER RECLINING CHAIR WITH STATIONARY ARMS 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 18, 1947 Fred C May/"er".

(Ittorneu July 25, 1950 F. c. MAURER 2,516,712

RECLINING CHAIR WITH STATIONARY ARMS Filed Jan. 18, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet2 ZSnnentor kreo C Nearer! (Ittorneg July 25, 1950 F. c. MAURERRECLINING CHAIR WITH STATIONARY ARMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 18,1947 r w 8 m r W W a NW C Mm Patented July 25, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE Fred C. Maurer, North Lima, Ohio, assignor to. The KenmarManufacturing Company, East Palestine, Ohio, a corporation of OhioApplication January 18, 1947, Serial No. 722,881

This invention relates to reclining chairs and more particularly toreclining chairs having stationary arm constructions.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a recliningchair having stationary arm constructions.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a combined chairframe and arm construction supporting a chair seat and back unit forreclining movement with respect thereto.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a recliningchair having fixed arms and means supporting the said reclining chairfor movement between the said fixed arms.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a recliningchair assembly having fixed arms and means engageable between the chairassembly and the arms for locking the chair assembly in fixed position.

The reclining chair shown and described herein has been designed to forma more comfortable and attractive form of reclining chair than hasheretofore been known. It is well known that many reclining chairs havebeen made and marketed which comprised a complete chair assemblyincluding seat, back and arm constructions formed in an integral unitand the whole of which was positioned on a base for movement withrespect thereto and usually to permit tilting the chair backward fromits usual upright position.

It is also known that reclining chairs have been formed in which fixedarms were employed and in which a fixed seat portion was positioned andthe back of a chair so arranged as to be movable thereby permitting itto be tilted backwardly to form a reclining surface. These types ofchairs known in the art have been uncomfortable and awkward in use andoften of unsightly appearance.

These objections in this general type of chair construction have beenovercomein the chair herein disclosed in that it presents an attractiveover-all appearance in either upright or reclining position. It is soformed that the positioning of the seat and back portion of the chairmay be changed without altering the positioning of the arms and for thisreason the arms may be used by the person seated in the chair in tiltingthe chair to a desired position.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and ar-'rangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it'being understood that changes in the-preciseembodi- 7 Claims. (Cl. 155-116) ment of the invention herein disclosedcan be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the chair in upright position.

Figure. 2 is a front elevation of the chair in upright position.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the chair in reclining position.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the chair in reclining position.

Figure 5 is a horizontal cross section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on line 66 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a vertical section of the reclining chair taken on line 'I'Iof Figure 4. The section is also indicated on line I'I of Figure 5.

By referring to the drawings and Figures 1 and 2 in particular it willbe seen that a chair has been disclosed which includes a pair of arms I0and I I spaced apart and forming a base which is supported on legs I2and I3. Seat and back portions I4 and I5, respectively, are integrallyformed on a secondary base which is movably positioned with respect tothe arms I0 and II.

In Figure 2 of the drawings the front portion of the secondary base isillustrated and indicated by the numeral I6. It will be observed thatthe upper portions of the arms I0 and II are curved as indicated by thenumerals I1 and I8. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatthe seat portion I4 and the back portion I5 are ofinner springupholstered construction and that the arms I0 and 'II are upholstered topresent an attractive appearance.

By referring now to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings it will be seen thatthe integrally formed seat and back units I4 and I5 are shown in tiltedor reclining position with respect to the arms I0 and I I and the basewhich separates the arms Ill and I I and forms a unit therewith. InFigure 4 the base separating the arms I 0 and II may be seen andparticularly a crosspiece thereof indicated by the numeral I9. It willbe observed that thecross piece I 9 of the base is spaced inwardly withrespect to the front portions of the arms I0 and II.

In order that the integrally formed seat and back portions I4 and I5 maybe moved with respect to the arms Ill and II' and the base I9, means isprovided for positioning the seat and back portions I4 and I 5 on thearm and base porings it will be seen that the arms In and l'i'each.

comprise a double walled structure, the inner walls being indicated bythe numerals: WA and. HA, respectively, and the outer: walls bythenumerals IOB and HB, respectively; The diagonal slots 2! are formed intheinnerwalls. 10A; and HA, respectively. It will thus be seen that theouter walls IHB and B, respectively; serve to enclose the operatingmechanism of the chair andrtherefore provide; suitable meansupon whichupholstery materials may be positioned. as: in finishing. theoutersides: ofithe earnesit and i 1-.

By referring .to Figuresd and 17 of the drawings it will be observedthat the.- rectangularly positioned slots: 25' are oppositely. disposedwith respect to one another and so formed .t-hatiwhen the seatiand backportions: la. and E of the chair are in upright position, as shown inFigured, the rods Mia-re each in the foremost portions: of the slots 2!thereby limiting the forward movementrofi'the unit 'compr'ising theseat: and back portionjfland i5. lnsliigureflr of the-drawings: theunitforming the seat and back portion iii-and. ldislshownin positionzand it will be seen; thatvthe; transversely positioned rods 28 havemoved to the rearmost portionsiof the slots.-:2-i thereby-limiting. themovement' in this direction. It-wilialso be; seen that the arms in and!i'remai-n stationary. atallrtimes a-nd that; apersonsitting in thechair: may push against the: arms in tilting the chair fbrward. This;makes-possible a. convenient chair" operating action as inmostrecliningv chairshereto fore known: in the: art the person sitting:-in; the chair has to operatetheschair by-foot pressure against thesupporting surface. or floor upon which the chair was positioned; Whentheseat portions of such reclining. chairs tilted back: wardly andforwardly itwas oftenimpossible-for the user of the-chair to-reach:the-fioorand' was thereby-incapable of further operatingthechairor-reizurningi-t to normal upright position.

- B35 referring again' to Figures zandz iiof the drawings it-willbeseenthat the constructionof the reelining chair; shown=and described hereinisrsuch-thatranattractiveappearance-is presented at all times regardlessof whether,- or nsrt the chair iszinwupright. or tilted position; Thisis exnphasizedintlie front appearance of thechair in-that theifront legsi2 remain stationary on the floor and thexarms Wand H remainstationarywhen thechair seat andbackportion i l-and i 5 is tilted. Wherr tlretilting-action occurs, the front case it of the secondary. base riseswith theseat portion M andexposes the cross piece is of the main basetoiview, which cross piece i9 is preferably upholstered in the samematerial as that applied to the arms iii-and H and the chair seat il-and back 15. Thus, whether the chair istilted or in upright position,an attractive appearance is presentedfrom the front and the side as noportion of the chair seemingly leaves the floor and the normalhorizontal lines of the base remain the same. This action isfurther'illustrated in Fig- 4 ures 6 and '7, and it will be noted byreferring thereto that the secondary base [6 supporting the seat l4 andback I5 is slotted as indicated by the numeral 22 to enable it to passdownwardly over the upstanding cross piece I9 of the base. As this crosspiece I9 is located only slightly inwardly from the front piece Hi, theraising or lowering of the frontapiece it is not particularlynoticeable.

Thus the chair avoids the common fault of appearing to be unsupportedwhen in tilted position.

Inassembling, the reclining chair, the seat M and-back l5 formed on thesecondary base 16 is positioned between the arms it! and ii and withinthe area definedthereby, and the cross pieces spacing'the same, whichform the main base of the chair, and the rods 20 are insertedtransversely of the assembled unit by way of a pair of openings 23formed in the outer wall NB. The openings 23 are covered when the chairis upholstered. For shipping purposes the chair may be made-and;the-rods so moved sidewardly so that the end'srthereof, ashes-t shown inFigure 5 -ofthe drawings, engage the openings 23- and thereby hold-thechair locked upright position.

It will thus be-seen that a. simply constructed, eificiently operatingreclining chair: has: been disclosed in which; the-arm portions are usedto; form partsof a stationary base which positions a unit forming seatand back portions. The seat and backportionis-moyably postioned on thearm-and base portion of the chairby reason of thetransverselypositioned; rods 20=slidablyengaging-the diagonally. positioned slots 25asheretofore de-, scribed which, provides a four-point supportingconstructionefor the seat and back portion and thereby-equally andsafely distributes, the weight ofithe chairrand' its user onthevmainbaseandat the sametime'enablesthe user to tilt: the chair by pressureapplied-to the arms ifiand- Hthereof. Inside elevationthe chair.presents an attractive, appearance in. either upright: or tiltedposition'ras the-mainsidearm portions of the-chair remain, stationaryand in front view-the. provision of. the, upholstered. cross: piece l9.-lying immediately behind the seat and: back portion sec.- ondarybase ifiisexposed in direct ratioto-the upward-tilting ofithe-seatand backportionand thesecond-ary base- !6. therebyenabling-the'chair to retainitsnormarlow horizontal lineswithrespect to. the. supporting surface;

The-chair-comprises an improvement over that shown. the patent, toOlsohlager et 311i,,NQ. 2,137,923.issuedNovember 22, 1938.

Having; thus described my invention, what- I claim is:

1-. In a recliningchair a seat and backuni and means for supporting thesame in tiltable relation to: a, supporting surface, the saidsupportingmeans comprising a base relatively wider than, the said seat and backunit and including vertical,- side; sectionshavingslots formed thereinatan inclination and: in oppositelydisposed relation, andthesaidseat-andback unit having sidewardly projecting means engaging the. said slots,the said sidewa-rdly projecting means-being movable. transversely of thesaid seat. and.- back unit, and. the said vertical side sections havingsecondary openings therein. for registry witmthe said movableprojectionsso asto-enablethesaid seat and back unitto belocked instationary positiorr withrespectto the-said; base.

2. In. a reclining chair a. seat and backunit and means for supportingthe same in tiltable relation to a1 supporting surface the saidsupportingmeans comprising abase relativelywider than the said seat andback unit and including vertical side sections having slots formedtherein at an inclination and in oppositely disposed relation, and thesaid seat and back unit having sidewardly projecting means engaging thesaid slots, the said sidewardly projecting means being movabletransversely of the said seat and back unit, and the said vertical sidesections having secondary openings therein for registry with the saidmovable projections so as to enable the said seat and back unit to belocked in stationary position with respect to the said base, and chairarms formed on the said vertical side sections of the said base. I

3. A reclining chair comprising a base having stationary armconstructions at each side thereof, the said stationary armconstructions including doubled wall sections, the inner walls of thesaid doubled wall sections having two pairs of oppositely disposedinclined slots formed thereinfa seat and a back unit positioned betweenthe said arms and movably mounted with respect thereto by means of tworods positioned through the said seat and back unit and extending beyondthe sides thereof and engaging the said slots, openings formed in theouter walls in at least one of the said arms and in registry with thesaid slots and for the reception of the said rods for locking the saidseat and back unit in stationary relation to the said base.

4. A reclining chair having stationary arms and comprising a basecarrying said arms in spaced relation, a secondary base having sidewalls and carrying a, seat and back unit, means positioning the saidsecondary base for movement with respect to the said arms and base, saidmeans comprising slots formed in the said arms at inclinationscorresponding to spaced sections of a common convex radius, and rodspositioned transversely in the said secondary base and extending beyondthe side walls thereof and engaging the said slots whereby the said seatand back unit may be moved to simultaneously elevate the front thereofand lower the back thereof.

5. A reclining chair including a base having arms aflixed at its sidesand oppositely disposed slots formed in the inner surfaces of the saidarms at oppositely disposed inclinations corresponding to the spacedsections of a common convex radius, and a seat and back unit having sidewalls positioned between the said arms, transverse rods in the seat andback unit projecting beyond the walls on the seat and back unit engagingthe slots for movement therein so 7 as to slideably mount the seat andback unit on the base and arms whereby the seat and back unit may bemoved to simultaneously elevate the front thereof and lower the backthereof.

6. In a reclining chair a seat and back unit having side walls and meansfor supporting the same in tiltable relation to a supporting surface,the said supporting means comprising a base and arm unit relativelywider than the said seat and back unit and including spaced verticalside sections each having two slots formed therein in spaced relationand each slot inclined inwardly and upwardly in oppositely disposedrelation, and the said seat and back unit having transverse rodsprojecting beyond the walls and engaging the said slots whereby the saidseat and back unit may be moved to simultaneously elevate the frontthereof and lower the back thereof.

7. In a reclining chair a seat and back unit having side walls and meansfor supporting the same in tiltable relation to a supporting surface,the said supporting means comprising a base relatively wider than thesaid seat and back unit and including spaced vertical side sections eachhaving a pair of slots formed therein, the innermost adjacent ends ofthe slots lying on a horizontal plane higher than the horizontal planeof the outermost ends of the said slots, the said seat and back unithaving transverse rods projecting beyond the walls and engaging the saidslots whereby the said seat and back unit may be moved to simultaneouslyelevate the front thereof and lower the back thereof, and chair armsformed on the said vertical side sections of the said base.

FRED C. MAURER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name v Date 1,720,102 Streit July 9, 19292,137,923 Olschlager et a1. Nov. 22, 1938 2,148,933 Fox Feb. 28, 19392,245,713 Redmond June 17, 1941 2,459,269 Ellsworth Jan. 18, 1949FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 102,285 Australia Oct. 28, 1937

